Kota Kinabalu: Visitor arrivals to Sabah grew by 4.1 per cent in the first eight months of this year, reaching 2.6 million as of August, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
In a speech delivered by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai at the Gala Night and Rhythms of Kinabalu 2026 on Saturday, Hajiji said the total comprised 1.5 million domestic visitors and 1.1 million international travellers.
China remained the top international source with 578,681 arrivals, supported by arrivals from Singapore, Australia, Europe, and an encouraging increase from Japan following a revised travel advisory.
Hajiji noted that the current figure represents about 64 per cent of the state's four million visitor target for 2026, which requires an average of 361,000 arrivals monthly from September to December to achieve.
However, he stressed that challenges concerning airfares and flight availability must be addressed to preserve Sabah's regional competitiveness and ensure the sector's full potential is realised.
